Since much is made in Arabian Nights of a cliffhanger ending that keeps you wanting more, it's ironic that after being thrilled by part one of Arabian Nights, Part 2 was not shown in New York when a war between ABC and Time Warner caused the ABC station to go off the air the night part two was supposed to air. I've been seething about it ever since, but at long last I have seen the whole thing (on the sci-fi channel, even though there's nothing remotely science fiction about the Arabian Nights) and I am thrilled.
Arabian Nights is one of the best of those elaborate, special effects-laden fantasy TV movies Robert halmi Sr. has been producing since the success of Gulliver's Travels. The bookend story of the original book has been expanded, so the loose-knit collection of stories feel tightly woven together by the urgency of Scheherazade's plight. The stories themselves are wonderful, beautiful and magical and displaying the amazing sort of imagination one sees in the movies of Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is less star-studded than a lot of Halmi's films, or at least, many of the stars, being of eastern or African origin, aren't famous in the U.S., although for all I know they are all huge stars somewhere in the world. The cast is marvelous, particularly Mili Avital as Scheherezade and John Leguizamo in two very funny roles as as the movie's genies (although the genie of the lamp is a bit too hard to understand).
This movies that is so amazing that it seems a shame it's TV movie status means it gets less notice than some inferior Hollywood fantasy. It is a must-see movie.
Arabian Nights is one of the best of those elaborate, special effects-laden fantasy TV movies Robert halmi Sr. has been producing since the success of Gulliver's Travels. The bookend story of the original book has been expanded, so the loose-knit collection of stories feel tightly woven together by the urgency of Scheherazade's plight. The stories themselves are wonderful, beautiful and magical and displaying the amazing sort of imagination one sees in the movies of Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is less star-studded than a lot of Halmi's films, or at least, many of the stars, being of eastern or African origin, aren't famous in the U.S., although for all I know they are all huge stars somewhere in the world. The cast is marvelous, particularly Mili Avital as Scheherezade and John Leguizamo in two very funny roles as as the movie's genies (although the genie of the lamp is a bit too hard to understand).
This movies that is so amazing that it seems a shame it's TV movie status means it gets less notice than some inferior Hollywood fantasy. It is a must-see movie.